London, UK - Schoolchildren in the UK who express support for Palestine face being questioned by police and referred to a counter-radicalisation programme for youngsters deemed at risk of being drawn into terrorism under new laws requiring teachers to monitor students for extremism.

One schoolboy told Al Jazeera he was accused of holding "terrorist-like" views by a police officer who questioned him for taking leaflets into school promoting a boycott of Israel.

The case reflects concerns raised about the expansion of the government's Preventcounter-extremism strategy into schools, with critics complaining that teachers are being expected to act as the "eyes and ears of the state".

What I was getting at is that if you want democracy you must have an educated electorate that take their responsibilities as citizens seriously. The problem is that the world is now so complicated no one understands it. Nevertheless I think education should be geared towards making citizens, not scientists, doctors, footballers etc